


Brush Strokes

by stuckyofficial



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hair Brushing, M/M, he needs space, recovering bucky, steve is so patient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 11:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4018180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuckyofficial/pseuds/stuckyofficial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is patient, Buck remembers something, and Tony is a little shit. </p><p>And also Steve's fav mug is cute.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brush Strokes

It's 5:54 in the morning. 

He doesn't want to get up, but he has to because he knows who's knocking on his door. Steve hauls himself out of his ridiculously comfortable but too soft bed, running a hand down his face and stumbling across the floor to open the door. He's vaguely aware that he only has one sock on. When he's done rubbing his eyes, Steve looks down to the man in his doorway and offers him a grin. “Can't sleep again, huh?”  
Bucky merely nods, raising a hand to push past Steve and into the room. The captain watches with an air of curiosity as his friend strides across the bedroom to sit on his still-warm bedding, pulling his knees up to his chest and, well, he seems content.  
It's been a few months since he came back. Since the Winter came to him, and even though they haven't addressed anything serious yet, even though Buck still doesn't talk, he doesn't flinch when people wave anymore. He doesn't have so many violent outbreaks, he doesn't take members of the team hostage because he can't remember why he's in the tower or if he has a mission. Slowly, but surely, Bucky Barnes is coming back to him.  
Steve leaves the door open so there is an escape (Bucky does not like confined spaces), and goes to sit beside the restless man.  
“Buck?”  
The brunette turns to look at him, calmly. Steve’s heart feels a little too big for his chest. But that's probably true anyway.  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
“No.”  
Steve only nods, sitting in quiet and simply looking at Bucky until his own eyes start drooping again and suddenly, somehow, he has an idea. He eases off the bed again, and heads to his bathroom to retrieve his hairbrush. When he's back to his nest of blankets, Bucky as vigilant as always, and looks from the brush to Steve and back with a raised brow. Steve just maneuvers to sit behind him, disregarding the way he's watched the whole time, and very very carefully initiating touch with his friend. Bucky doesn't like being touched unless he knows what's going on. And it seems he knows what Steve's doing when he gently rakes the brushes bristles through his hair.  
“Ma used to do this for me, y’know, when I was sick and I couldn't get to sleep. You did too, sometimes. But I think you thought I was already asleep when you did.” Steve says quietly, working from the ends of Buck’s hair all the way to the roots and apologizing each time he snagged the brush on knots. “Maybe it'll help you too.”  
Sure enough, after a good half hour of gentle touches and stories from Steve, Bucky pulls away from him and silently lays down on his side. Steve pulls the blankets over him, and claps his shoulder. “Goodnight, Buck.”  
He stands to leave, gathers a spare pillow and blanket from his closet, and makes his way to sleep on the couch. 

~~~

He wakes to the loud clunk of something on the coffee table in front of him, and groans when he cracks his eyes open. It's too early fo-  
“Rise and shine, old man!”  
Tony.  
The captain sighs heavily, makes himself sit up and rubs his eyes far harder than he probably should.  
“There he is, Mr. America. What happened, boyfriend kick you out?” Tony teases from behind the couch, sipping on his own coffee afterwards. Steve assumes he hasn't been to sleep yet by the wired, somewhat unstable glint in his eyes. That might just be normal though, he isn't sure anymore. Tony's a puzzle nobody is ever going to figure out.  
“He's not my boyfriend.” Steve grumbles, trying to flatten out his hair with one hand while the other guides itself to the familiar handle of his favorite mug. Its simple, really, a blue mug with white stars. It was a mock gift from Clint everyone thought would just be funny. He wasnt supposed to actually adore it. There's a chip in the rim from his tooth. Tony scoffs and leaves, with some snarky remark no doubt, but Steve isn't paying attention. He isn't paying attention to anything until there's something in his hair and he almost jumps out of his skin. He leans back to look at whoever it is, except he already knows it's Bucky because who else would be brushing his hair after last night.  
“Hey, Buck.” He greets, facing forward again when Bucky makes him, and goes back to fixing up the part in Steve’s hair.  
“I remembered helping you to sleep.”  
“Oh? That's good.”  
"You were little."  
Steve grins a bit. "Yeah, I was."  
There is nothing but a huff of acknowledgement, and a few more minutes of brushing even though Steve's hair is short enough that it was done in the first few strokes.


End file.
